Series: becoming a close(r) reader
All 8 parts of this 8-week series are now available! Links below.
What does it mean to read a book closely? The simplest answer is about paying attention. We’re inundated with notifications and noises and algorithms designed to direct our attention away from ourselves and into the consumer experience. But closely reading a book trains your mind to pay attention to the still, silent pages of stories—to focus all of your energy and your intent toward engaging with literature.
It takes a lot to learn how to do it, from how to become physically comfortable with the focused silence of deep reading sessions to how to grapple with enormous ideas in a way that feels accessible and true to you. This series covers all of that and more.
With weekly guided writing exercises designed to get you thinking deeply about your own beliefs and ideas about reading, you’ll learn how to:
explore and define your personal analytical style (as in: how you think about what you read and how to discuss it with other readers)
develop and define your reading aesthetic (as in: how you experience close reading as an embodied being and how to set yourself up for reading success)
brainstorm new ideas for your reading habits and goals (as in: how consciously you engage with your reading process and how to do it more often)
write about your closely reading methods (as in: how you reflect on your ideas while reading and finding the confidence to share your writing)
Start here
Get the basic intro to the series, then dive into each week’s exercises and prompts to get going —